Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Alhamdulillah. praise is indeed to Allah SWT as Ustaz Wan Mohd Khairul Firdaus Wan Khairuldin al-Hafiz served as the 12thRISDEV (ISDEV Postgraduate student by Research) candidate to have passed his viva-voce for 2014. He was awarded a Grade "1" as well as the nominations for the "Best PhD Thesis" award at least at the university's level.

Calm, confident and to the point Ustaz Wan Khairul answers the questions posed.

Wan Firdaus viva was held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, 25 September 2014 which saw him defending his PhD thesis on 'Aplikasi Proses Penfatwaan Dalam Kaedah Penyelidikan Berteraskan Islam‘ (Application of the Process of Fatwa in Islamic-based Research Methods) with a very cool, calm and confident disposition. The Board of Examiners unanimously agreed that his PhD thesis deserved a nomination for the "Best PhD Thesis" award as were the other 10 RISDEV students before him this year.

An air of tenseness engulfed the viva voce did not affect the serene ambience of C06.

The Board of Examiners consisted of the Chairperson, Professor Dr. Abu Hassan Abu Bakar from School of Housing, Building and Planning, external examiner Associate Prof. Dr. Che Zarrina Binti Sa'ari from the Department of Akidah and Islamic Thought, Academy of Islamic Studies Universiti Malaya, and two internal examiners who were Dr. Zahri Hamat and Dr. Zakaria Bahari. In the meantime Dr. Mohd. Zaini Abu Bakar represented the Dean of School of Social Sciences while his main supervisor, Prof. Muhammad Syukri Salleh and co-supervisor, Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad were also present.

Just as his seniors, the day of Ustaz Wan Khairul's viva, two strict routines were carried out to prepare him in all four aspects - spiritually, emotionally, physically as well as intellectually. The first routine is the mock viva which is usually held very close to the viva. The second routine is the performance of the nawafil solat hajat congregationally amongst ISDEV members. On the day of his viva, ISDEV members congregated at 8.30 a.m. at Masjid Al-Malik Khalid to perform the solat hajat together thereby seeking Allah SWT help to guide Ustaz Wan Khairul during his viva later that day.

A jubilant Ustaz Wan Khairul (centre) flanked by his supervisors.
On his right is Prof Syukri while on his left is Dr Fadzila Azni.

It was a weekly routine for ISDEV members to gather every Tuesday for about half and hour starting at 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm to attend the 'Tuesdays Teachings'.

A cozy and comfy ambience of C06 for Tuesday Teachings

Every week two speakers will be assigned to give the tazkirah (short reminders) and lectures for ISDEV members. However, for this week, the class on 23 September 2014, ISDEV members attended a special edition of Tuesdays Teachings. For this session ISDEV members were given the honour to listen to the tazkiyyah (equivalence of tazkirah but referred to as such by the people of Brunei) and a brotherly advice from a distinguished guest who came all the way from Brunei Darussalam.

Dr Adnan addresses ISDEV members while Prof Syukri (right) looks on.

Y.Bhg. Dr Haji Adnan bin Haji Basar, the Deputy Raes, from Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam (KUPU SB) graced ISDEV with his presence that day. Dr Adnan took the opportunity which he deemed as a golden chance to attend the Tuesdays Teachings and meet ISDEV members face to face besides getting personal insights and accounts of ISDEV members from ISDEV Director himself, Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh. His interests in ISDEV was kindled as he had heard so much about ISDEV from fellow Bruneians that had him made a resolve to visit ISDEV. Amidst his tight schedule and within the framework of his working visit to Malaysia, Dr Adnan nonetheless was humbly willing to share his experiences with ISDEV members when invited to do so.

Dr Adnan (centre) speaking from his experience while ISDEV lecturers
(from right to left) Dr Zakaria, Prof. Syukri and Dr Fadzila Azni gave their full attention.

In his briefly and useful tazkirah, he stressed the importance of giving back to the community. He provided some points on how this can best be achieved. Among them is his guru's advice to look after the qalb (heart) and the need to associate everything with do with Allah SWT. One such way is to constantly recite the Istighfar (forgiveness) and the correct practice of knowledge so as to attain Allae oh SWT pleasures. There is a need for each and every one of us to consciously seek for Allah SWT barakah and one way to achieve this is to ensure that one's niat (intention) is clear and succinctly for the sake of Allah SWT.

A RISDEV student, Ridwan (right), asking a question to Dr Adnan.

A Question and Answer session was also opened to all who were present to get a more accurate explanation and his views on the current situation facing the Muslim ummah globally. ISDEV members took the opportunity to ask Dr Adnan about Brunei Darussalam and the country's commitment and passion about Islam.

At the end of the session, Prof Syukri (centre), provided a brief presentation about the beauty of a humbled heart.

Also present at the session were ISDEV Director, Prof. Muhammad Syukri Salleh who also served as chairman of the class as well as the other ISDEV lecturers and students who gave their full attention and actively participated in that afternoon's programme.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

On 15th September 2014, a seven strong entourage from ISDEV
consisted of five ISDEV lecturers, one RISDEV (ISDEV Postgraduate by
Research) student and one ISDEV alumni student were flown to Indonesia to participate in “Konferensi International Pembangunan Islam –
1 (The First International Conference on Islamic Development) KIPI-1”

With the theme on “Situasi Terkini Ekonomi Islam”
(The Current Situation of Islamic Economics), the three-day conference
was held at Auditorium Fakultas Kedoktoran, Universitas Jember,
Indonesia (UNEJ). The conference is held in conjunction with the Islamic
Economics and Development Week that was held to commemorate Universitas Jember's 50th anniversary.

An informal discussion with lecturers from Universitas Airlangga at Santika Hotel,Surabaya.

ISDEV
delegates arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia on 15 September 2014 but before heading
directly to Jember, the delegates had to make a breif stop over at
Surabaya as the connecting flight to Jember was on the following day.
However no time was idled away as ISDEV members took the opportunity to
meet up with the lecturers from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) to discuss
on a mutual research that could be embarked upon by both USM and UNAIR.

After
the pubic lecture, the programme continued with the official opening
ceremony of KIPI-1 which was held at night.The programme started with a
dinner hosted by Jember Bupati M.Z.A. Djalal and followed by the hitting of the kompang as a symbolic inauguration of the conference.

Sweet memories
with the Dean of the Economics Faculty, Dr. M. Fathorrazi, Bapak Bupati
Jember, M.Z.A Djalal (fourth from left who is wearing a songkok and is standing between Prof. Syukri and Dr Zakaria)
and UNEJ's Rector Drs.Moh.Hasan (second from left)

The
next day of the program saw three ISDEV lecturers presenting their
papers and Prof Muhammad Syukri Salleh delivering his keynote address on
‘Nine Deficiencies of Mainstream Islamic Economics” in front of
participants consisting of economists throughout Indonesia and Malaysia.

All about the conference - (Top) Prof. Syukri delivering the Keynote Address and entertaining the barrage of questions posed by reporters after his speech. (Bottom)- Dr. Shukri and Dr. Zakaria present their papers

(Left)- Prof. Syukri with one of the conference moderators, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Agus Trihartono, Senior Reseracher, Ritsumeikan University, Japan/ Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Jember University and (Right)- a picture of all the participants of KIPI-1

Dr. Zakaria Bahari then took his turn to present is paper in the second session with the title "Metodologi Penelitian Ekonomi Islam”
(Research Methodology of Islamic Economics) followed by Dr. Mohd Shukri
Hanapi who presented his paper in the third session with the title “Tasawur Ekonomi Islam" (Worldview of Islamic Economics).

The cover page of the book published to commemorate KIPI-1

Dr.
Mohd Syakir Rosdi and Dr. Shahir Akram Hassan (ISDEV lecturers), Razali
Othman (ISDEV alumni student), and Mohd Zulkifli Muhammad (RISDEV
student) who were part of the delegation from ISDEV did not present any
papers in the conference. Nonetheless their papers were published in a book entitled Ekonomi Syari'ah Terkini - Perspektif, Metodologi and Praktik together with seven other ISDEV members. They are regarded as
participants of "supplementary papers".

The
third day of the conference which was on 18 September was the closing
of the conference. To mark the conference's end a dinner gala was held
at the Economics Faculty. After dinner the appointment of Ahli Dewan
Perwakilan Wilayah Ikatan Ahli Ekonomi Islam Daerah Besuki Raya was also
held.

A group photo with the lecturers of UNAIR

On
19 September, ISDEV delegates returned to Surabaya and within this time
had another opportunity to meet up with the lecturers of UNAIR. Following the discussionsheld on 15September2014,both partiesagreedto conduct research inareas such asIslamicAccounting, Islamic GovernmentBudget, ZakatManagement System as well as Non-MuslimPerceptiononIslamic Banking, andIslamic FinancialSectorfor Agriculture.

A mission accomplished - all smiles and feeling contented

Indeed, within the five-dayvisit, ISDEV members did not onlymerelyattend theconferencebut is aptly described by the delegates as "MissionAccomplished" as it was not only packed with variousactivities and programmebut alsobeneficialcooperation inresearch. Definitely closer bonds were fostered during this trip with thesole aim ofstrengthening Islam.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh, quoting his father, said: I asked Aisha about living in the desert. She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to go to the desert to these rivulets. Once he intended to go to the desert and he sent to me a she-camel from the camel of sadaqah which had not been used for riding so far. He said to me: Aisha! show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it [Hadith from Sunan Abi Dawud, 4808].

Friday, September 19, 2014

ISDEV members busy going through the notes of the lecture by ISDEV statistician, Encik Aziz Abd Tahar

ISDEV Graduate Monthly Supervision for August saw a packed C23 Conference Room at the School of Social Sciences. More than 50 ISDEV members were present for this month's programme which is held in the afternoon, 27 August 2014. This Monthly Graduate Supervision was part of of the Social Sciences Colloquium programme. Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad was the Chairperson of the day throughout the programme.

The programme started with a Tarbiyah Pengarah but this time around it was delivered by ISDEV Deputy Director, Dr. Zakaria Bahari. ISDEV Director, Prof. Muhammad Syukri Salleh was away due to the demand of his work. Dr Zakaria addressed ISDEV members on the importance of having both iman (faith)and taqwa (piety)especially in the context of embarking in research. Dr. Zakaria talked about how iman and taqwa with a strong belief in tauhid (monotheism) have to be the foundational stronghold of each and every researcher in ISDEV as ISDEV is committed to research on Islam with the aim to glorify Islam.

Committed and passionate about his work, Encik Abd Aziz, shared his more than 30 years experience as a
statistician with USM in doing the empirical studies of any project work.

The programme then continued with the Monthly Graduate Supervision on "How to Construct Questionnaire" by ISDEV Statistician, Abd Aziz Tahar. He led this session by providing a detailed explanation on the various terms used and referred to before one embarks to construct a questionnaire. He also gave some pointers on the do's and don'ts in structuring the questions for questionnaire. ISDEV members were keen to get a clearer picture as a lively questions and answer sessions transpired throughout his lecture.

The industrious ISDEV lecturer, Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad who served as the chairperson throughout the programme.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

ISDEV Graduate Discourse was held on 4 September 2014 at C23 Social Sciences Conference Room and run entirely by Dr Atih Rohaerti Dariah. Dr Atih is one of the researchers in the ISDEV Research University Team (RUT) on "Mould and Index of Islamic Development".

ISDEV members captivated not only with her presentation but also by her warm personality.

The program of the day was divided into two sessions in which the first session was the presentation by Dr. Atih while the second session was the question and answer session. ISDEV Director, Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh was the chairman throughout the programme.

During the two-hour long programme, ISDEV members were very fortunate to have the opportunity to witness the presentation and at the same time, they were welcomed to voice their respective opinions, ask questions and even share some information related to Dr Atih's research. Dr Atih's gentle personality and approachable demeanour has allowed ISDEV members to mingle and get to know her better as well as get useful advice from such an experienced academician.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

ISDEV welcomed it’s seventh batch of Masters in Social Science (Islamic Development Management) students on 5 September 2014 at Dewan Pembangunan Siswa 2, Kompleks Cahaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia. 33 new students have been accepted to pursue their Masters (Mixed-Mode) for the academic year 2014/2015. In continuation of ISDEV tradition, this new batch of students is collectively known as MISDEV'14.

Ahmad Saiful in his role as the Master of Ceremony of the day

The Ta'aruf Session (or Orientation Programme) for MISDEV'14 started at 10:00am with a welcoming speech by Ahli Bersekutu ISDEV (ABI) representative, Ahmad Saiful Rahman Ab.Rahim, who served as the Master of Ceremony of the program. He started by introducing to the students on what ISDEV is all about. Then he gave a brief general overview of the structure of ISDEV, introduced ISDEV lecturers as well as ISDEV supporting staff. The entire introduction was presented via a multimedia presentation prepared by ABI members.

Ridhwan Nordin also shared his experience as a student supervised by Dr Zakaria Bahari

For a clearer perception, current RISDEV (ISDEV Postgraduate student by Research) students who are supervised by ISDEV lecturers were called to briefly introduce their respective lecturers from their point of view in terms of each of the lecturers' individual personality and their experiences as to how they are supervised. This is the time that everyone had a chance to know each ISDEV lecturers inside out.

Although ISDEV Director, Professor Muhammad Syukri Salleh, was away due to the demands of his work, MISDEV ’14 still had a chance to listen to welcoming remarks and general advice on being a student of Islam delivered by ISDEV Deputy Director, Dr. Zakaria Bahari. In the second session, Dr. Fadzila Azni Ahmad also gave a brief explanation on the courses to be attended by the students as well as the modus operandi of the class to the batch of MISDEV'14. A question and answer followed thereafter allowing MISDEV’14 to seek for clearer information.

Potluck is now part of ISDEV culture.

At the end of the session, there was time and space for everyone to mingle around, all within the dictates of the Shariah. ISDEV took the opportunity to invite one and all for a simple Jamuan Tengah Hari also organized by ABI members.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

It was narrated that Mu’adh bin Jabal said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed one day, and made the prayer lengthy. When he finished we said (or they said): ‘O Messenger of Allah, you made the prayer lengthy today.’ He said: ‘I offered a prayer of hope and fear. I asked Allah for three things for my nation, and He granted me two and refused one. I asked Him not to let my nation be destroyed by enemies from without, and He granted me that. And I asked Him not to let them be destroyed by drowning, and He granted me that. And I asked Him not to let them be destroyed by fighting among themselves, but He refused that.’” [Hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 36, Hadith No. 4086].

Friday, September 5, 2014

True to ISDEV’s culture, RISDEV student, Azrin Ibrahim presented her PhD thesis to ISDEV fraternity at the ISDEV Graduate Discourse recently. The intellectual discourse which took place at the Dewan Persidangan University (DPU) was held on Wednesday, 27 August 2014 at 9.30 am and chaired by Dr. Fadzila Azni Ahmad.

Dr Zakaria (left) giving his opinion as to how Azrin could improve her PhD thesis

She was given the green light by the appointed evaluator, Dr Mohd. Shukri Hanapi to proceed with the next stage, i.e. submission of her thesis to the IPS office. However Azrin had been encouraged to make the necessary amendments as suggested by him as well as those made by ISDEV lecturers. Azrin Ibrahim is supervised by Dr. Fadzila Azni Ahmad while her co-supervisor is Prof. Muhammad Syukri Salleh.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted [al-Hujurat, 49:13].